CEO Professor Mario Caccamo leaving Niab

After ten years with the organisation, Niab Chief Executive and longstanding Crop Science Centre (CSC) collaborator, Professor Mario Caccamo will leave this summer to pursue a global opportunity.

Professor Mario Caccamo has accepted a new international leadership role at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as an inaugural Translational Professor, a newly established senior faculty track designed to accelerate KAUST’s strategic shift toward impact-driven, applied research.

Mario is a strong advocate for bridging the gap between discovery science and applied research to address the global challenges of food security, climate change, and biodiversity, and has been an important collaborator of the Crop Science Centre (CSC) since it was set up in 2020.

He joined Niab in 2015 as Head of Crop Bioinformatics, later becoming Managing Director of NIAB EMR before being appointed Chief Executive in 2021. Over the past decade, he has played a key role in expanding Niab’s research capabilities, strengthening its service provision, and guiding the organisation through a period of significant transformation.

A computer scientist by training, Mario has over 20 years’ experience in life science research and big data, including specific projects to apply the latest DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics methods to advance scientific understanding of crop genetics and the interaction of agricultural crops with their environment.

Mario has led the work on the assembly of the first whole-genome release of the wheat reference sequence and was also one of the founding co-chairs of the expert working group within the Wheat Initiative focused on the deployment of an international Wheat Information System. He continues with his leading role in the cereal bioinformatics communities at both national and international levels.

Mario will remain in post until the summer while Niab begins the search for his successor, ensuring continuity during the transition.

Read more about this on Niab’s website: CEO Professor Mario Caccamo leaving Niab

Image: Professor Mario Caccamo longstanding CSC collaborator who will be leaving Niab as CEO this summer. Photo credit: Niab.

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